Apparatus for cleaning the exhaust gas of an engine



May 27, 1969 IETATSU OHNO 3,446,011

APPARATUS FOR CLEANING THE EXHAUST GAS OF AN ENGINE Filed May 22, 1967 10 u 1o i 19 '3 INVENT OR Icia'kSU- oh 0 ATTORNEY United States Patent US. Cl. 60-30 6 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention discloses apparatus for completely burning the unburnt components in the blow-by gas of the engine by heating the unburnt components .with a body to be heated having a plurality of fins directly connected to an exhaust port of the engine.

This invention relates to an apparatus for cleaning the exhaust gas of an engine.

When the exhaust gas of an engine installed on a car or the like has unburnt components, the carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, carbon dioxide etc. contained in the gas do human bodies direct harm and further the unburnt components produce soot and smoke, thereby contaminating the air. Therefore the unburnt components contained in the blow-by gas leaked out of the piston gas of the engine have been removed by returning the blow-by gas to the carburetor and sending the gas again into the combustion chamber. This prior method is beset with the demerit that the blow-by gas spoils the carburetor, the ignition plug, the cylinder, etc. so as to cause the engine operation to become rough, the jet hole to be clogged and the engine to be worn quickly and thus may give rise to troubles.

Therefore, the object of this invention is to provide an apparatus which can clean the exhaust gas completely with much ease without requiring any great electric power.

The character of the present invention will be well understood by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view partly in vertical section of an apparatus embodying the principle of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical section of a blow-by gas guiding device fitted to the apparatus shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of the exhaust gas burner installed in the apparatus illustrated in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG. 3.

Referring now to the drawing, a piston 2 is fitted in a cylinder 1 and connected by rod 3 to a crank shaft 5 housed in a crankcase 4. The upper end of the cylinder 1 is connected to a fuel gas suction port 8 and an exhaust port 9 through an intake valve 6 and an exhaust valve 7. To the outer end of the exhaust port 9 of the engine, a burner case 10 is directly coupled, and to this case 10 is connected an exhaust pipe 11. The exhaust pipe 11 is adequately equipped with a muffler 12. The case 10 is covered with a case 14 furnished with cooling ribs 13, the case 14 being adequately spaced from the case 10. On the inside of the case 10 many fins 15, 16, 17, etc. are shaped, and a cylindrical body to be heated 18 is equipped in the same case so as to face the exhaust port 9. Many fins 19 are formed also on the cylindrical surface of the body to be heated 18. In addition, to the crank case 4 is coupled a blow-by gas conducting pipe 20 and the leading end of the pipe 20 is connected to a blow-by gas guiding device 21 mounted on the top of the case 10. The guiding device 21 is so adapted that the gas pipe 20 is connected to the inside of the case 10 through a check valve 22 and 3,446,01 l Patented May 27, 1969 oxygen thus supplied serves to accelerate the combustion of the exhaust gas.

Accordingly, when the engine runs, the hot exhaust gas produced through the combustion and explosion in the cylinder 1 is blown into the case 10 through the exhaust port 11 every time the valve 7 is opened. The exhaust gas is very high in temperature and contains flames, which usually get into the case 10. The exhaust gas so high in temperature passes through the case 10 and the exhaust pipe 11 into the air. As mentioned already, many such fins as are denoted by the numerals 15, 16, 17 and 19 are shaped on the inside of the said case 10 and on the heated body 18, therefore the hot exhaust gas or the flames in the gas come in contact with these fins. Consequently, the case 10, especially the heated body 18 equipped therein, is heated to be red hot, so that the inside of the case 10 is kept very high in temperature and the exhaust gas passes through the case 10 thus heated, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 3. In case it is wanted to effect complete combustion of the exhaust gas in the case 10 even when the case 10 is low in temperature as immediately after the start of the engine, the body to be heated 18 may be so constructed as to be heated not only by exhaust gas and flames but also by electricity. By so doing, the body to be heated 18, when supplied with electric current, becomes red hot instantaneously to serve for cleaning the exhaust gas. Several minutes after the start-up of the engine, the heated body 18 is made red hot and the temperature on the inside of the case 10 is heated up to high temperatures by the flamecontaining exhaust gas resulting from the combustion and explosion in the cylinder.

At this moment the electric current supplied to the heated body 18 can be cut 01f, so that no great electric power is required, and the unburnt components which remain in the exhaust gas are sufliciently heated to burn completely inside the case 10 while passing through the case 10 and the harmful components such as carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon are removed. The blow-by gas leaked into the crankcase 4 is guided into the case 10 and the poisonous components are removed by combustion. That is to say, the blow-by gas flows through the pipe 20, the check valve 22 of the guiding device 21 and the holes 23 and 24 into the case 10. However, when the gas pressure inside the case 10 is higher than that inside the pipe 20, the valve 22 is closed, so that there is no possibility for the gas inside the case 10 to go back into the crankcase through the pipe 20. In other words, the blow-by gas inside the crankcase is also sent into the case 10, and so the unburnt components of the gas are completely burnt up and removed together with the unburnt components of the exhaust gas.

As apparent from the foregoing description, the present invention does not require any such device as heating wire which consume great electric power but contemplates utilizing the heat of the exhaust gas itself to accomplish complete combustion of the unburnt components of the exhaust gas, thereby removing the harmful gas components. In addition, the fan which may be provided, if necessary, to supply fresh air or oxygen may be so small in size and capacity as to consume little electric power or the like and also simple to equip. Furthermore the apparatus of the present invention, not required to return the blow-by gas to the carburetor, is free from such defective phenomena that the cylinder, the sparking plug and the jet hole are damaged so as to shorten in life or to quicken the wear of the engine.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for cleaning the exhaust gas of an engine comprising a case directly connected to the exhaust port of the engine and containing a substantially cylindrical body to be heated, said body being equipped with a plurality of fins extending radially therefrom, and means including an exhaust pipe connected to said case to define a flow path through said fins changing the direction of flow of said exhaust gas coming from said exhaust port by substantially 90 degrees, whereby said body to be heated is heated to become high in temperature by the hot exhaust gas itself discharged from the engine, so that the unburnt components of the exhaust gas are completely burnt about the heated body.

2. A cleaning apparatus according to claim 1 wherein the case is connected to the crank case through a check valve.

3. An apparatus as defined in claim 1 having cooling ribs mounted about the exterior of said case.

4. An apparatus as defined in claim 3 wherein the cooling ribs are spaced from said case.

5. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, said case having fins on the inside extending toward said body.

6. An apparatus as defined in claim 1, said case having an internal volume passing exhaust gases larger than said exhaust port and said exhaust pipe.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,203,554 6/ 1940 Uhri 6030 2,649,685 8/1953 Cohen 6030 3,232,373 2/1966 Bjork 6030 3,354,635 11/ 1967 Guarnaschelli 6029 CARLTON R. CROYLE, Primary Examiner.

DOUGLAS HART, Assistant Examiner. 

